Lawmakers, Pundits React to Obama’s Cairo Speech

President Barack Obama offered a lengthy and closely watched address in Cairo today in an effort to improve U.S.-Muslim relations. Here is a snapshot of reactions from pundits, political allies and opponents to the speech:

–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “I think it was an absolute triumph. He made us all very proud by speaking in a very positive way about a new beginning with the Muslim world and how we can work together, the necessity to fight, to work together against violence. And I was so pleased that he addressed many of the human rights issues, including women’s rights.”

–House GOP Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia: “What I did not hear is enough emphasis on the root causes of what is going on in the Middle East, and that is the sponsorship of terrorist activity by the regime in Iran.” Cantor also said the president did not offer a forceful enough defense of Israel. “The president talked about Israel in terms of its activities on the settlement issue. My response is that Israel does what it must to secure its population,” he said.

–Marc Lynch at Foreign Policy: “President Obama’s speech today in Cairo met the bar he set for himself. In an address modeled after the Philadelphia speech on race, he forewent soaring oratory in favor of a thoughtful, nuanced and challenging reflection on America’s relations with the Muslims around the world (not “the Muslim world”, which for some reason became a major issue in American punditry over the last few days)…But this speech is an essential starting point in a genuine conversation, a respectful dialogue on core issues. After the initial rush of instant commentaries and attempts to inflame controversy pass, it should become the foundation for a serious, ongoing conversation which could, as the President put it, ‘remake this world.’ Obama’s congressional Republican critics

– Ira N. Forman, CEO of National Jewish Democratic Council: “President Barack Obama’s speech this morning in Cairo did not just reiterate what the audience wanted to hear, but Obama was forthright about the acceptance of Israel and their legitimate needs. The President made very clear to the Arab world that he was going to continue to prioritize Israel’s peace and security, and that the U.S. and Israel have an ‘unbreakable’ bond.”

–Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons: “This is the real way to fight terrorism, through open and honest dialogue, where we promote love and destroy hate. We are now witnessing the front line of the battle. The battle for the hearts and minds of the young men who have believed in the hatred spewed by their terrorist leaders is beginning to be won when our president makes speeches like this.”

–Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination,” he said. “The new US government seeks to transform this image. I say firmly, that this will not be achieved by talking, speech and slogans.”

–The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg: “An African-American President with Muslim roots stands before the Muslim world and defends the right of Jews to a nation of their own in their ancestral homeland, and then denounces in vociferous terms the evil of Holocaust denial, and right-wing Israelis go forth and complain that the President is unsympathetic to the housing needs of settlers. Incredible, just incredible.”

–The Nation’s Robert Dreyfuss, who tuned in from Dubai: “But it was on Palestine that Obama hit the gong…How long has it been since a president spoke movingly about Palestinian suffering? And in a speech so high profile, even game-changing?”

–National Review’s Rich Lowry: “But the speech was an act of diplomacy and as such, it inevitably was going to skate over some inconvenient truths and tilt its presentation in a way to try to make it more persuasive to its target audience. Fundamentally, Obama’s goal was to tell the Muslim world, “We respect and value you, your religion and your civilization, and only ask that you don’t hate us and murder us in return.” Bush tried to deliver the same message over and over again. The difference with Obama is that people might actually be willing to listen.”

–American Enterprise Institute’s Michael Rubin: “Obama will get a standing ovation, and Bush will get scorn. Bush however can look in the mirror and know that he liberated 50 million people and inspired others chafing under dictatorship in Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere. Obama will look in the mirror and admire how handsome he is.”

–Cato Institute’s Christopher Preble: “I thought the president hit the essential points without overpromising. He did not ignore that which divides the United States from the world at large, and many Muslims in particular, nor was he afraid to address squarely the lies and distortions — including the implication that 9/11 never happened, or was not the product of al Qaeda — that have made the situation worse than it should be.”

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